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Post by DataNinja on Jun 14, 2018 1:35:23 GMT
The group, now metaphorically a lot lighter, makes their way back to where Cain had been. Initially, he doesn't seem to be there, but it's clear after a moment that he'd simply pushed forwards a little bit, and is tired, and with several scratches on him, but at least alive.
"Good job," he says, upon seeing the group, "At least, I assume it's a good job given that you're arriving back here, and not running from a horde. From reports, it sounds like most things have been dealt with in here. So, how about you all go, get some food and some caffeine or something to wake you up, and then I'll call you in a bit for debriefing. Got to cover some other stuff, and check in with some other teams, too, first."
It's probably close to a half hour before the call is received, giving plenty of time to get Pokémon dropped off for healing, as well as "food" and drink to help wake up if the battle hadn't already. But, the trio finds themselves back in Cain's office once again.
"So... that was an exciting morning, wouldn't you say?" the senior Technician asks, dryly. "Anything you'd like to report on your end? Unfortunately, all the recording equipment and whatnot we had set up to monitor the wall got... well, trashed is an understatement, but destroyed right after the opening. So, if anything unusual happened, then you're the only source."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Jun 17, 2018 16:26:16 GMT
Sure, the battle had woken them all up. But it was also exhausting. As much as a nutrient paste could be, it was a welcome sight.
Once they'd met back up with Cain once more, Thoron started. "The portal seemed to emit Pokemon at a very high frequency, with no apparent pattern between the bursts. We arrived as a swarm of Ekans finished transferring, and an unidentified two-headed and two-colored dragon followed afterwards. Many of the Pokemon only became hostile upon our arrival. If we treat large swarms as a unit, how many were present when the cameras were taken out, sir?"
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Post by Moriya on Jun 17, 2018 20:29:59 GMT
Silas is glad for the opportunity to rest, but he's still worried about the scale of the attack. There are non-combatants in HQ as well, is the invasion spread somewhere like the medical wing, they might not be able to fight off the attack.
After Thoron gives his summary, Silas brings up the mission's main anomaly. "One thing seems significant to me. When the teleporter was destroyed, there was an explosion of energy. Blake and I seem unharmed, but every Pokemon hit was destroyed or recalled. It's probably a clue to how the thing was made, but if this effect is weaponized..." Silas leaves the details to Cain's imagination. Most likely, they are safe from an anti-Pokemon weapon, because something that powerful would have been used already.
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Post by Bowyer on Jun 18, 2018 23:33:54 GMT
Blake had barely had time to scarf down any of the paste before meeting back with Cain. He'd had very important embroidery to finish. Add dropping off his Pokemon for treatment and he had to move at an uncomfortably quick pace to make the meeting on time.
Fortunately he hadn't been late. As Silas and Thoron were more experienced in fieldwork, he'd let them head up the report first. And they had covered everything rather well. "The portal explosion was rather strange wasn't it. A pity we couldn't find out what was triggering it. The only other thing that might be odd were those floating...letters. They seemed to be Pokemon of some sort but resembled letters. Writhing masses of them. Also no real pattern."
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 19, 2018 4:42:47 GMT
"I see." Cain says, his face not betraying anything that's going through his head. "That is concerning. Please inform me if you see any other Pokémon capable of creating things like this circle."
"As for numbers... there were at least eight or nine before we lost visual. Clearly not many of them stuck around there. Most spread elsewhere - though, we were able to bottleneck them before they got anywhere too valuable and less-defended, like medical." He pauses, before seeming to remember something. "Oh, that reminds me, Silas. Doctor Morrison informed me that Lily called out for you during the alert and lockdown. It seems as though she, at the very least, sees you as a protective figure. Perhaps you'd be willing to spend some more time with her sometime."
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Post by Moriya on Jun 21, 2018 4:18:40 GMT
Silas is confused for a few seconds, then realizes what Cain meant by 'Lily'. "So that's her real name then? And of course I'll visit." While he says no more on the topic, Silas is notably more relaxed after hearing that she is safe. And despite the pressure that comes with the role, being considered a protector feels good too. The girl has been given a rare second chance, and she doesn't need to have that chance ripped away by another dose of bad luck.
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Post by ThRevanchist on Jun 23, 2018 3:23:19 GMT
After a moment to confirm Silas had said what he needed regarding 'Lily', Thoron resumed, "It would appear they did try to spread, yes... Although that may be expected, with a metaphorical backdoor. As for the letter-like Pokemon, they displayed hostile and erratic behaviour, but no readily apparent coordination or advanced... Capabilities..." While he may have had more to say on the topic, Thoron shifted gears to instead ask, "With the intensity and scale of this invasion, one has to wonder where the attack was launched from. Assuming it wasn't from a totally isolated location, there may have been a higher frequency of incidents preceding it, or an uncharacteristic quiet over the next period of time. Even illegal storehouses like the recent operation in the Promethean District fall far short of these numbers, after all."
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Post by Bowyer on Jun 23, 2018 22:55:31 GMT
Lily? Who could that be? And why did Cain bring it up at the debriefing? Blake was left wondering much like Silas, though he doesn't have the epiphany of the individual's nature. There'd be time to find out who she was when they weren't engaged on official business.
Thoron had certainly covered most all of the options nicely. More than Blake could have thought of but he'd never been good at looking at bigger pictures. "Surely someone would have noticed all these Pokemon walking about? It would be hard to miss the giant golem that we defeated. Something about this seems too fishy to be random."
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 24, 2018 1:33:48 GMT
"Or at least the one that she gave, yes. Lillian Jones, but she prefers Lily." Cain nods. "We'll see if that brings up anything, since it may be of interest to your own... familial ties. I make no promises, though, since people in the lower levels have a tendency to... slip through the cracks."
"As for the attack itself," he shrugs, "I would expect it would be likely that it would have been launched from somewhere in the Under, if the portal allowed for it. There're plenty of Pokémon down there that've never made it further up, and... well, it's not exactly the best monitored place. Plenty of places for a large group of 'mon to hide. We'll see what develops in the coming days, though. As for now, if you've got any more questions or things to share, this would be the time to ask them. Otherwise, you're dismissed. Probably want to try catching up on some rest if you can."
"Oh, actually," Cain mentions, after a brief lull, "before I forget. I thought you might like to know that your last mission provided us with a great deal of valuable information. It turns out that there was a stockpile of powder in the arena complex, and we were able to seize and analyze that. It appears as if the Prescient Powder isn't the only variety, just the one most useful for gamblers. But it's what the powder actually does that's intriguing. It seems to give an temporary infusion of energy to a person's body, which gives them minor abilities in the vein of Pokémon or elementalists. But, well, the human body isn't meant to handle all that, so it actually converts some of a person's body into energy, much like a Pokémon does when injured. If too much is take before someone has time to recover... well, it's likely that they'd entirely turn into energy and dissipate like any killed 'Mon. The implications are... not good, but the information itself is good to have. So, keep up the good work."
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Post by Moriya on Jul 4, 2018 2:06:15 GMT
Silas frowns at the mention of the elemental doping drug. The exact significance of the powder is something that he can consider later, so he doesn't voice any dangerous ideas. However, it is also related to something they forgot to mention during the mission debrief. "That reminds me, they mentioned an elemental drug in the arena, called it 'Boost'. Maybe that was made on the same principle?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 4, 2018 20:21:00 GMT
"It could be," Cain nods. "That very well might be their name for it. It's not like it's something with an official name. Even we just tend to call it powder. Alright, well, I've kept you long enough. Go get some rest, and hopefully I won't need to see you again for a while."
Unfortunately, that statement turns out to be entirely too optimistic, as, just over a day later, the trio once more finds themselves in the presence of Cain, in a briefing room. "Okay, so," he says, "the long and the short of it is, Pokémon got into the Over. Not quite sure how, although the person who reported them mentioned seeing them being accompanied earlier by someone who seemed to look like a Technician. So far, they seem to be containing themselves to one area, as far as we can tell, so that's good fortune. Or something else. We need you to go up there, stop them, and find out if there's anything important about that particular area. There doesn't seem to be too many of them, from reports, so, hopefully it shouldn't be too bad. You'll have a five thousand allocation each. Not sure what you'll be up against, though. Omega will be able to direct you to the locale. Any questions before you head out?"
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Post by ThRevanchist on Jul 5, 2018 23:28:40 GMT
It was an exceedingly straightforward mission, from the look of it, and trusting witness accounts of Pokemon was a bad idea. Still, Thoron asked, "'Like a Technician'? Did they mean 'parading around in our uniform', or just surrounded by Pokemon?"
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 7, 2018 6:05:14 GMT
Pokemon in the Over? How strange. There hadn't been any in ages as far as Blake could remember. So why would a Technician release them there? If there even was a Technician, as Thoron seemed to doubt. But who else but a Technician would be able to be able to wrangle a group of Pokemon to the Over unseen? "From a distance, it's pretty easy to 'look' like a Technician. Might just be some common criminal. Finding out either way seems paramount, don't ya think? If there's a traitor in the ranks, probably a good idea to turn them out. Oh, I take it we don't have any clues to the Technician's whereabouts? Before or after?"
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Post by Moriya on Jul 8, 2018 16:19:06 GMT
Silas furrows his brow. Did a few of the invaders escape detection? Did someone take advantage of the confusion during the invasion? He supposes he'll find out soon enough. "No questions about this assignment. But do we know anything more about the other night's incident?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 9, 2018 3:55:05 GMT
"It's not entirely clear, I'm afraid," Cain says to Thoron, "Given that it was going off of memory, and, well, I'm sure the assumption to anyone is that if someone's got Pokémon around them that aren't busy biting peoples' faces off, that they're Technicians. And, I'm afraid not, Technician Rowell." Cain smiles wryly. "That would be making our lives too easy, after all."
"As for last night..." he shakes his head. "We don't know why that particular timing. Perhaps it was only then that whoever was on the other end discovered that we took it. Maybe they were gathering forces until then, hoping to decapitate us. Or they didn't have anyone who could activate it, or were trying to catch us off guard... we might never know. Maybe this will give us some clues. Or maybe it's entirely unrelated. Hopefully you can find out. And please," he implores, "do your best for capture. While Pokémon loose in the over is dangerous, this is not the same situation as the other night, where wanton dissipation was acceptable."
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Post by ThRevanchist on Jul 11, 2018 22:42:50 GMT
How many warnings had they received, by now? It was more than one, and that was unacceptable enough, so... It would be best to make it the last. A little more somber than necessary, Thoron confirmed, "Understood. No more questions, sir."
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 15, 2018 6:38:59 GMT
Saluting smartly, Blake adds his own, "Yes Sir! No need to worry. We'll clean up this problem right quick." He holds himself there a little longer. Waiting to be dismissed before rushing to procure some goodies for the mission.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 16, 2018 19:39:53 GMT
"Thorough is more important than quick," Cain says, "But, both is better."
After collecting their supplies, and their AI, the group heads for the Over, a rare occasion. If only it was in much less... unfortunate circumstances. Arriving at the surface, everyone's momentarily blinded by the non-artificial lighting, coming from high in the sky. It's warm, and, looking around, there's a lot more open space in general. Buildings are not smashed together in order to maximize space, there's much more of a focus on aesthetic. Not too terribly far away is the building where the High Council resides, towering over even the highest other buildings in the area, rather imposing with a glossy black finish. Even that is nothing compared to the Wall, though. Thankfully, neither of those areas are where you have to go. Omega has pulled up a map showing the approximate area where the Pokémon had been spotted. "Hopefully you brought enough Pokéballs," he quips. Perception checks, please. As well as Stealth if you're trying to approach, well, stealthily.
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Post by Moriya on Jul 18, 2018 3:23:37 GMT
Silas scans the surroundings, still slightly uncomfortable with all of the space. Logically, he knows that the amount of space wasted here is minimal relative to the rest of the city, but a part of him still feels obligated to resent such a blatant show of wealth. As they get closer, he doesn't make any particular attempt to be stealthy. The Technician uniform is pretty obvious, and it wouldn't be a surprise if some gossip about their presence has already spread. Omega's quip is a little concerning though... "Did you get an exact number of Pokemon that we're after?"
Perception: 2
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Post by Bowyer on Jul 23, 2018 3:32:23 GMT
Supplies procured, Blake meets up with the others as they begin their trek towards the source of the calamity. He happily follows along through the wide streets of the Over. It was always such a refreshing sight, even if his own excursions up here had been a little limited. It was hard to get enough of the open skies above. He tries to keep his eyes open but doesn't do the best job of it. The sights were so refreshing. "It's always so nice up here. It's too bad that we're here on a mission." It was a sad day when criminals were infringing on the peace and order of the Over. Perception : 5
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